Chinese government officially implemented nationwide the One Child Policy as the population reached 900 million.

In response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, U.S imposed an embargo restricting exports of grain to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).

China provided Iraq with military support during the Iran-Iraq War (1980–88).

Challenging the Maoist precept that art had to serve the revolution and people, the magazine Meishu published an article by one of the members of the Stars group proclaiming “art for the sake of self-expression”.